Mass termination, insulation displacement connectors have come into increasing commercial prominence because of the significant savings in time and labor they offer compared to stripping and individually terminating each conductor using a crimp terminal. These connectors have an insulative body holding a number of regularly spaced terminal elements having slotted plates terminating in sharpened free ends extending beyond a surface of the body. The conductors also include covers having recesses in a facing surface for receiving the free ends of the plates. After the insulated conductors are aligned with their corresponding slotted plates, relative closing of the body and cover results in displacement of the insulation with the conductors contacting the metallic plates. For further information regarding the operation and structure of such connectors, reference may be made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,458,967 and 3,912,354.
The most efficient form of conductors for use with such connectors is the flat cable in which conductors, running parallel and spaced to match the spacing of the terminal elements in the connector, are held by a layer of insulation. The use of a flat cable avoids running the conductors one at a time and holding them in position for termination. The flat cable can be used for either a daisy chain connection (where the connector is applied intermediate the cable ends) or an end connection. The sharpened ends of the slotted plates pierce the web material between the conductors in the flat cable as the body and cover close so slitting of the cable between conductors is not required.
In certain applications, it is advantageous to incorporate in the flat cable a metallic ground plane having a width such that it extends beyond the discrete conductors. But for the presence of the ground plane, the impedance and capacitance of the flat cable could vary in accordance with its proximity to metallic structure. The use of a ground plane stabilizes and reduces impedance and, furthermore, functions to reduce crosstalk among the various conductors, which crosstalk could adversely affect the operation of computers and peripheral equipment. Heretofore, the ground plane typically was embedded in the layer of insulation along with the conductors. Special powered tools were required to cut the insulation to permit access to the ground plane so that it could be peeled away from the conductors to prepare for their mass termination. If the removal of the ground plane was done improperly, the electrical and dimensional characteristics of the cable could be adversely affected.
It is known to releasably connect a stack of flat cables with a perforated separator strip disposed between each pair of cables. By the application of heat and pressure, the cables bond at the perforations. The limited adhesion holds the cables joined until manual separation is desired. For further information regarding the operation and structure of such cables, reference may be made to U.S. Pat. No. 3,173,991.
It is also known to provide a tape conductor including a conductive strip sandwiched between a base layer having an adhesive coating facing away from the strip, and a cover layer with an adhesive coating for securing the tape to the base layer. By selective arrangement of adhesive patches, the peel force required to remove the cover layer can be varied. For further information concerning such a tape conductor, reference may be made to U.S. Pat. No. 2,964,587.